Grapple and basket for wagon-loading apparatus



.E. W. WEED April 22, 1930.

ARATUS GRAPPLE AND BASKET FOR WAGON LOADING APP Origihal Filed Nov. 18. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuento'o E. w. WEED April 22, 1930.

GRAPPLE AND BASKET FOR WAGON LOADING APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 18. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w w wvn o 00 0 0000... .0 0 O 0 o O 0 Q 6 o s grapple and'basket,

Patented Apr. 22,1930 v ,7

oIfFFlcE-i ElVlIIL W. 'wnnnjor- RAYMOND, IALBERTA, CANADA RAPPLE AND BAsK T FOR wAeoiv toAniive Ar'PARA'rUs Original application filed November is, 1926, Serial no, 149,235. Divided and a I 15,1928. seria1'1vo,2e1,s5e.

A This, application constitutes a division of my co-pe'nding application for wagon loading apparatus, filed: November 18,4 19 .26 ,"se-

rially numbered149,2 35, and allowed August 17 1927. The apparatus embodiesa crane amounted On the wagon, a grapplesecuredto the load end of the cable of the crane and:v

adapted to be engaged with abasket, means ,by whichthe power end of the cablemayl be connected toa draft animal so asto permit the basket to be raised into .dumping'posi-c tion-while the wagon is-atgrest, and means by vwhich thepower end of the cable may beeon- Y a Y j nected to the ground so as to permit the basket I r to be raised into dumping position during itsoontents into the wagon, and means for releasably holding the movable hookin retalnlng POSltlOII. j I

I Thepresent application; also: relates" to a;

' novel form-of basket, this part beingrstrong 7 a0 and durable and so constructed as topermit the grapple hooks to be readily engaged I Vtherewith'and disengaged therefrom.

' The grapple and basket are hereinafter A to themeans for connecting or anchoring it to more fully described andiclaimed, and illus 5 trated in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a wagon equipped with the loading apparatus," -;1

Figure '2 is a viewin rear elevation of the Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of one form of the movable grapple hook and the "means for releasably holding it inretaining position, 1 x '1 Figure 4 is'a view similar to Figure3illus- Vtrating a slightly modifiedform of the movable grapple hook and the means for holding it in retaining position, A 7 v a i 'Figuree is a view in rear elevation of the structureshownin Figure 4,211,1(1

I lFigure 6 I a bottom plan view of the basket, I I

Referring ,in detail to the drawings, 1

this application filed March designates the running gear and 2 the body A of the wagon; 3designates the crane, 4the cable ofthe 'crane, .5 the grapple secured to.

the load end of the cable, and 6 the basket engaged by. vthe grapple. The means" by which the power end of the cable may be connected-to a draft animal and the means by which it may berconneoted or'anchored to the ground are not shown. I

The crane 3ncomprises a hollow post 7 which extends above and below the wagon bed 2 and is supported for rotation about a vertical axis by bearings 8 and 9. The bearing 8 is supported above and from the wagon bed 2 by bracket arms10,,and the bearing 9 is supported below and from the wagon bed by bracket arms 11. A hollow and horizontally disposed arm 12extends from the upper end of the post 7 and is secured thereto by a hollow coupling 13; A A housing14 is secured to the forward end of the arm 12, anda housing 15 is rotatably associated with the lower end cable 4 passesthrough the post 7 and arm ,12

about the pulleys 1 6, and it is provided at its load end with a hook 17 for engagement with the grapple 5 and-atits power end with a book 18 for engagement with either of the means for connecting it to the draft animal or The grapple 5 consists of rear rods 22 andv 23 which are relatively fixed, and a front rod 24 pivotally associated with the rear rods. The rods 22 and 23 are connected attheir upper endslby a loop 25 which is removably engaged withthe cable hook 17 and the rod 24 isprovidedat its'upperend with a lloop of the post 7. Pulleys 16 are journaled in the coupling 13 and housings 14 and 15. The

the upper end of theishank 32 'ofthe hook;

The collar 30 is also provided with a laterally rods 22 and 23 with vthe resulting discharge projecting lug 32 through themediuin of which it maybe raisedon the rod 24 when it is desired to release the hook 28. When this hook-is released the basket 6 tilts on the oflthe contents intothe wagon body 2, The

hooks 27 and 28 engageunder the rim'of the basket 6, and the sleeve 30 is provided with a hook 33 which engages over the rim of the basket.

A modified form of'the means forconnecting the basket 6 totherod 24 is shown in Figures 4 and 5, and in this form thereof the f means comprises a downwardly spacing hook 34 fixed to the lower end ofthe rod 24, and an fupwardly spacing hook 35 pivoted as at 36 to said end ofthe rod, said hooks being adapted to engage the rim of the basket 6 as shown in Figure'4. The hook 35 is provided with an upwardlyjektending shank 3'? to which the lower end of the rod 38 is pivotally connected, as

shown at 39. The rod38 is provided at its upper end with an .eye 40, and it is slidably mountedinabearing 4l which is rockably con- "nected to the rod 24. A coil spring .42 which is mounted on the rod 38 between the shank 37 and eye 40, functions to normally maintain the hook 35 in closed position with respect to the hook 34. The rod 38 provides means through the medium of which the hook 35 may be A swung into opened position when it is desired to release thebasket 6 so that it will rock on the rods 22 and 23 and discharge its contents into the wagon body 2. To efiect the opening of the'hook 35, it is only necessary to swing the rod 38 into the dotted line position shown in Figure 4, and this may be done through the medium of a flexlble member, not shown, con- Znected to the eye 40.

; The basket 6 comprises a substantially semi-spherical body 43 which is made from 7 wire cloth, and an annular rim, 44 which is 'made from a piece of round stockwith its 'ends welded together. The body 43 has its upper edge bentover and welded or secured in any other suitable manner to the rim 44. Arcuate straps 45 are located at the outer side of the body 43 and have their lower ends connected together by a rivet 46. The upper ends of the straps 45 are bent about therim 44, and the loops thus formed are maintained closed by rivets 47. and durable and will when in' discharging The basket 6 is strong position rapidly empty its contents into the wagon body 2. The hooks of thegrapple rods 22, 23 and 24 are engaged with the rim I 44 close to the straps 45, as shown in Figure 5, the straps holding the hooks against movement in a direction that would result in injury to the wire'cloth body 43.

The apparatus is especially adapted to permitthe wagon 1 to be easily and quickly loadedin the field with sugar beets, garden truck andall other crops that may be gathered in baskets. The crops to be gathered are placed inthe baskets, the loadedbaskets are deposited in the field at the points where they are loaded, and the wagon 1 is driven over the field from basket to basket. lVith the wagon at rest, a basket-is engaged by the grapple 5, and the power end ofthe cable 4 is anchored to the ground or connected to a draft animal. If the cable 4 is anchored to the ground the wagon 1 is set in motion, while if the cable is connected to the draft animal the wagon remains at rest and the draft animal moves, with theresultj that the basket will be elevated to a point above the wagon body 2,

in whichposition it will'be held by the dog 19. lVhile the basket is in this position the pivoted book of the grapple bar 24 is released. The resulting downward rocking of the basket on thegrapple bars 22 and 23 will effect the discharge of its contents into the wagon body 2. After the contents of the basket have been discharged into the wagon body'2, the wagon 1 is moved to the next loaded basket, and when this basketis reached the dog 19 isretracted to permit the grapple 5 to be lowered into position for engagement with the basket, and thereafter the dog is released and the basket elevated into dumping position over the wagon body 2 and its contents discharged into the wagon body.

It should be understood that the drawings are merely illustrative and do not pretend to give exact proportions, Furthermore, the said drawings are illustrative of a preferred construction, it being my expectation that various changes andmodifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is 1. A grapple comprising a plurality of rods, hooks carried by certain of the rods, a hook pivoted to the remaining rod, a semispherical container carried by said rods and secured to said hooks, andmeans releasably' securing the pivoted hook in retaining position. I p

Y 2. Agrapple comprising a plurality of rods,hooks carried by certain of the rods, a pair of hooks carried by the remaining rod and of which one is mounted for movement with respect to the other, a semi-spherical container carried by said rods and secured to said hooks, and means for securing the movable hook in closed relation tothe other.

35 terminally engaging said shank and eye-loop to hold the hook member in engaging and 3. A grapple comprising a plurality of rods, hooks carried by certain of the'rods, a V

fixed and pivoted hook carried by the remaining rod, a semi-spherical container carried by said rods and secured to said hooks, and means yieldingly holding the pivoted hook in closed relation to the fixed hook.

4, A grapple comprising a pluralityof rods, hooks carried by certain of the rods, a

hook pivoted to the remaining rod, a bearing rockably supported by the remaining rod, a

rod slidably carried by the bearing and p1votally connected to the pivoted hook, a spring surrounding the rod and terminally engaging the bearing and the pivoted hook to hold in closed' and fully open positions, and a semi-spherical container carried by said rods 7 and secured to said hooks.

' 5. A grapple comprising rods having a v 1 1 fixed angular relation and provided with hooks, another rod pivotally associated With said first rods, a pivoted hook carried by said otherrod, a semi-spherical container carried by said rods'and secured to said hooks, and

means releasably holding the pivoted hook in retaining position.

V 6. A releasable grapplehook, comprising a I 7 bar, an integral hook facing outwardly of the end of the bar,a-hook member pivotally secured to said bar and having an inwardly. 'facing hook coacting With the first hook, a

shank on said hook member, a rod pivotally engaging said shank, anieye-loop rockably engaging said bar and slidably mounting said rod, and a coil spring enclosing said rod and I disengaglng positions.

a latch hook thereon engaging the rim, said A 7. A beet loading device, comprising a hoisting element, three rods suspended by:

said element, a'semi-sp'herical container supported by said rods, the rods being secured to 'said' container at spaced intervals around its run, two of said rods havlnghooks engaging said rim and providing pivot means for dumping the container, the third rod having I latch hook including a manually actuated bar,

a pivoted hook engaging said bar, a bearing for said barrockably mountedon the rod, and a coil spring enclosing the bar'and terminally V engaging the hook and bearing to hold the hook in engaged and disengaged positions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EMIL W. WEED. 

